As many as 162 civilians have lost their lives over the past few months in Turkeys southeastern areas that are the scene of fighting between the army and members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a rights group says.
TheHuman Rights Foundation of Turkeysaid late Saturday that 32 children, 29 women and 24 elderly people were among those killed in the restive regions placed under a government-imposed curfew since August 2015.
The figures were released by the Ankara-headquartered organization at a time thatthe Turkish army continues unabated with its campaign against the PKK militants.
In December last year, Human Rights Watch (HRW) expressed concern about the rising civilian death toll in Turkeys clashes, urging theAnkara government to scale back its operations and conduct an investigation into the killings.
Citing local rights groups, the New York-based rights organization also warned that the number ofcasualties is likely to increase steeply in the coming days.
People in the Kurdish-majority towns and cities in Turkeys southeast have held a series of proteststo voice their outrage at the imposition of curfews there as the security forces fight Kurdish militants.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="555"]
Riot police fire tear gas to disperse demonstrators during a protest against the curfew in Sur district, Diyarbakir, Turkey, December 14, 2015. Reuters[/caption]Turkeys southeast has witnessed confrontation between Turkish forces and the PKK militants since a shaky ceasefire between Ankara and the PKK that had stood since 2013 collapsed following the Turkish military operation against the militant group.
Ankaras campaign began in the wake of a deadly July 20 bombing in the southern Turkish town of Suruc. More than 30 people died in the attack, which the Turkish government blamed on DaeshTakfiri terrorist group.
After the incident, the PKK militants, who accuse the Turkish governmentof supporting Daesh, engaged in a series of reprisal attacks against Turkish police and security forces.
By Press TV
